


Sweater Weather

by loire, meeokie



Category: Hatoful Kareshi | Hatoful Boyfriend
Genre: BBL spoilers, Domestic Fluff, Happy Birthday!, Hate Husbands, It's a piece of cake to bake a pretty cake, M/M, One Shot, Requited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-24
Updated: 2015-09-24
Packaged: 2018-04-23 03:45:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4861745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loire/pseuds/loire, https://archiveofourown.org/users/meeokie/pseuds/meeokie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Sakazaki, would you mind…leading? I am capable of assistance of course but… I’ve not baked anything previously so some of these instructions… I don’t have time to remake things today is what I mean.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sweater Weather

**Author's Note:**

> AHHH!! Meeokie wrote a fluffy one shot for Hitori's birthday!♥ We are totally obsessed with domestic Shuu/Kazuaki&Isa/Hitori but I wasn't expecting her to throw this together! Best Hate Husbands! Fluffy with a generous sprinkle of fucked up is a great recipe tbh.
> 
> Also as a side note to explain Shuu and Yuuya's familiarity and tension, this takes place in the same sorta not entirely canon compliant world as [Here To Stay](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4691477/chapters/10710674)! Otherwise, enjoy some little fluff between those two as well!
> 
> Happy Birthday, Hitori!♥ We love you!
> 
> \---
> 
> 'Cause it's too cold  
> For you here and now  
> So let me hold  
> Both your hands in the holes of my sweater

Shuu wasn’t particularly skilled when it came to the culinary arts, or baking, or even simple things like sandwiches. Truth be told, he used to eat a lot of instant meals, or buy things already prepared; it was easier and took less time. The reality of it was that no one had ever bothered to teach him that skill set and he wasn’t about to bother teaching himself. He didn’t find it necessary anymore anyway - Kazuaki was plenty skilled in that area.

And yet, here he stood, printed out directions on how to make a standard two layer cake clenched in his fist as he stared down at the supplies he had gathered in the home ec room - pans, boxed cake mix, actual ingredients to make a cream frosting, red food coloring. He sighed, vaguely wondering why he had decided to give up his daily experimentation time after lunch to instead do this. He glanced down to the piece of paper in his fist, dropping it to the counter and smoothing it down. 

_'Well… I can get started I suppose. Some of this is easy.'_

Yuuya found the doctor bent down searching the fridge, the quiet beep of the oven echoing in the room to signal that it was finished preheating. His usual smile was plastered across his face, although at the moment mixed with something a bit more understanding. Shuu’s request had come as a surprise - Yuuya himself didn’t know this date held any special meaning. Just the fact that the doctor wanted to do this and actually reached out for help - how could Yuuya say no to that? 

Shuu stood up and looked back to the door at the sound of the latch clicking, eyes falling on Yuuya’s form as he held a few sticks of butter in his left hand. The fridge closed and he walked over to the area he had claimed as his own, curling his right finger to beckon Yuuya closer. 

“Ah, doctor. It is a nice day today, yes? The fall wind is refreshing - I am glad summer is finally gone.”

Shuu offered only a quiet hum in return, violet eyes flickering down to the instructions as he rolled up each one of his lab coat sleeves, pulling along his undershirt as well. Yuuya to his side did the same, more careful to not improperly roll up his school jacket. He agreed with Yuuya of course; summer was rather awful for the doctor, the heat unbearable and that hot sun constantly beating down. He preferred fall and winter, always more comfortable bundled up with cool air swirling.

“Sakazaki, would you mind…leading? I am capable of assistance of course but… I’ve not baked anything previously so some of these instructions… I don’t have time to remake things today is what I mean.”

A soft smile crept along Yuuya’s lips, his fingers reaching over to pull the instructions closer and look them over once. It wasn’t exactly a highly skilled recipe; in fact, it called for premixed cake ingredients which he noticed already sat on the table in front of them. The frosting seemed to be the hardest part due to how it would be mixed together, but even that was only a few ingredients altogether.

“But of course - it seems you have everything here already and the oven is set correctly. This will not take long with both of us working.”

They worked in a comfortable silence for most of the duration, familiar along each other’s side as they often were in the infirmary. Shuu followed Yuuya’s gentle guidance, greasing the circular pans and mixing the prepared batches of yellow and chocolate batter as instructed. Yuuya poured the contents of each into the shallow pans, placing them gently onto the oven racks. He set the timer and turned back, blue eyes happily meeting Shuu’s, containing his laughter at a small smudge of chocolate cake mix that had somehow landed on the doctor’s cheek. Yuuya leaned forward, kitchen towel in hand as he wiped the smudge away, Shuu’s eyes glaring behind his glasses but never moving from his spot in front of the student.

“Ahh, doctor, you must be more careful. We can’t have you going home like that, hm?”

Shuu turned away with no answer, specifically so Yuuya would not see the faint blush fanning across his cheeks. Sakazaki’s faint chuckle was not missed however, but he luckily said no more, opting to explain some of the next instructions to the doctor as to why and how the frosting ingredients needed to be mixed in a specific order, as well as sectioning off a small portion to receive the red food coloring for the lettering on top.

Together they finished this work, Yuuya satisfied with the color and consistency of both just in time for the cakes to be completed, the shrill sound of the timer echoing against their work surface. Once they both had cooled enough, Yuuya reached down to the cabinet below to pull out a cookie rack, Shuu’s confused expression obvious as Yuuya laughed.

“Ah, just watch, ok? Don’t tell anyone my secret!”

Shuu’s gaze was glued to Yuuya’s long skilled fingers, the knife in his hand running slowly along the circular edge of each cake first to loosen it from the pan. He then took the cooling rack and placed it over one cake, quickly securing it and then flipping both over. Yuuya tapped at the pan’s bottom gently and then lifted up, the cake releasing and fully intact on the cooling rack. 

“The tapping does nothing of course, but I always do it for good luck!”

Shuu was too caught up in watching Yuuya’s tricks to react, eyes following as his assistant repeated the motions with the other cake and then carefully stacked the chocolate section onto a borrowed plate. He watched still as Yuuya smeared frosting along the top, pausing after half of it had been completed to offer the knife to the doctor to try. With slightly shaking hands Shuu gathered up the whipped ivory frosting from the bowl and slowly smoothed it out until the top of the cake was covered. Yuuya nodded in approval before grabbing the yellow cake with long fingers and placing it on top of their finished work.

“Doctor, you are skilled enough now to do the final top, but leave the sides for me.”

For having no idea how to even start something as simple as a cake made from premixed flour, Shuu thought the finalized item in front of them looked fairly decent - nothing was leaning over awkwardly, the frosting was not melting. Although if he had attempted this alone, those both probably would have happened, including the very obvious situation of each cake breaking in half - the doctor most certainly would have tried to scoop the cake out of the pans instead of flipping them. Now all that was left was the text. Violet eyes watched as Yuuya took a spatula to the vibrant red frosting, scooping it into a clear plastic bag he had earlier explained was for creating smooth lines, the very tip encapsulated in a strange plastic nozzle. Yuuya handed the contraption over to Shuu, smiling eagerly - was this a test?

Shuu stood in front of the cake, piping bag held in his right hand hovering over the top, a frown on his lips as his fingers refused to steady. He was too nervous at messing this part up - you couldn’t simply wipe away the mistake if it happened and they had no more frosting left. His form froze as he felt Yuuya slide in place behind him, familiar fingers wrapping around his own as Yuuya guided him from behind, bringing the tip down close to the cake and squeezing gently, the very beginning’s of a “H” starting to form in precise, fluid motions. They continued like that in silence, Shuu getting a feel for the correct amount of pressure and movement needed to form the letters. Yuuya’s writing was elegant - not cursive but it flowed together in a pretty way. 

Shuu stilled once they completed the ‘Y’, Yuuya tilting his face to the left from his focused gaze over Shuu’s right shoulder.

“Thank you, for helping. I’d like to do this part alone, if you don’t mind. It won’t feel right otherwise.”

Shuu tilted his head to the right, soft lips resting for a moment along Yuuya’s cheek. Things were still tense, but this seemed alright, now. Yuuya did not once question Shuu’s calling for help in the home ec room - he simply showed up and was prepared. He came, even if he didn’t have to, and that fact made Shuu certain that Yuuya would understand this simple act of thanks.  

The doctor watched the smile form on his assistant’s lips before Yuuya finally pulled away, his palms coming up to rest along Shuu’s shoulders and gently squeezed with Yuuya’s mouth close to an ear.

“You are welcome, and I understand. Don’t look so worried, doctor, I am sure he will love it no matter what.”

With that, Yuuya stepped back and retreated from the room, leaving Shuu alone to complete the final touches on the birthday cake.

*******

Shuu was concerned. Usually by now Kazuaki would stumble in, not bothering to knock and flop down to his favorite bed, sometimes without offering the doctor any words. Shuu never minded that; he enjoyed the comfortable silence of the teacher, sometimes the soft sounds of his mumbling through sleep drifting in the small space between them. However, today he was missing and that was rather abnormal. Perhaps the students knew of the date? Maybe they were celebrating in the classroom? Shuu was too stubborn to find out - never once stepping foot into that classroom when it was full. And so the cake sat on his desk, violet eyes shifting from its container over to the open window, eyes following the first gentle fall of red and orange leaves.

The last bell rang, the distant echo of shoes against the tile in the hallway, Shuu half expecting for him to finally walk through the door, offering a quiet apology and a warm smile. It never happened however; Shuu stood from his desk, not feeling in the mood to stay late like he always did. It was unusual to go a whole day without seeing Kazuaki, especially considering their living situation. The doctor woke up to an empty bed, thinking nothing of it as the teacher never seemed to have a stable sleeping schedule - sometimes he was still sound asleep, other times he had already left for school.

With a sigh, Shuu wrapped himself in his dark peacoat and flicked off the infirmary lights by the door, cake box resting in his left palm. 

The weather was finally nice enough to walk back and forth to the school. Shuu opted for public transportation during the summer, the annoying rattle of the bus air conditioner much preferred over the unfriendly blaze of the sun. Oddly enough, Kazuaki never requested to accompany the doctor even though they both had the same destination. Shuu thought nothing of it; he enjoyed the alone time to be silent and relax - be alone with his thoughts. Perhaps Kazuaki wanted and needed the same. But with the leaves changing, Shuu was happy to walk; home wasn’t that far. 

Leaves crunched under his shoes as he held tight to his and Yuuya’s hard work, his free hand coming up to wrap the red scarf tighter against his mouth and neck as a cold breeze pushed against him. Had Kazuaki not come in today? Normally Shuu would be somewhat aware if there was an absence, however he never did make it to the faculty lounge as he went directly to the home ec room once he was free of duties in the afternoon.

Cold fingers fumbled with keys as Shuu juggled the cake in one hand and opening the front door with the other. He continued forward, locking it behind and coming to the kitchen to place the cake down, eyes roaming to look for any sign that he was home. Quietly, the doctor crept his way down the hall, pausing at the door across their bedroom to listen close to the bathroom, the familiar sounds of the tub been filled hitting his ears. He let a contained sigh out, happy at least that Kazuaki wasn’t missing. The lone thought that the other must be in need of relaxation flickered through his mind - Hitori always took a bath when he was stressed. Carefully, Shuu retreated back down the hallway and through the living room, the gleam of the autumn sun catching his eye through the sliding doors close to the kitchen counter. 

Pulling open the drawer hidden beneath, Shuu placed the notepad down and held a well used pen in his right hand, frowning as he attempted to express what he really wanted to say.

_Happy Birthday. I know it’s not much but……_

Was that enough? All of the things the doctor wanted to say, every tiny flickering thought throughout the day could not be written so easily; he wasn’t exactly sure what words could even be used. He dropped the pen, instead wrapping his fingers around the latches of the cake box on each side, lifting the top off to make sure everything was still intact. The cake looked the same as the moment Shuu had slowly and carefully finished the ‘I’ at the end.

He left it like that, alone on the counter with the small note, fingers coming up once again to tug the scarf tighter as he slid the glass door open, stepping out to the small porch, eyes locked on the sky once more as the sun attempted to sink beneath the tree line, reds and oranges seeming that much brighter compared to the boring sky he was used to. He sunk down, bundling himself in his jacket as he leaned back in the chair, eyes closing.

Hopefully it would be enough.

*******

Shuu would be home soon.

The water spiraled around the open drain as the bath was emptied; the plug lingering wet and alone near the front of the tub on its ledge. Steam wasn't wiped away from the bathroom mirror as Kazuaki stood in place, drying his short blonde locks with a towel. Bare feet touched the cold tile, goosebumps dotting along his body. It was already chilly despite the hour. He would need to turn on the heaters - something he should have already done. If he arrived home before Shuu, which was more often than not as the doctor tended to stay late in the evenings to wrap up any projects or experiments he may have had, then he made sure their small, shared abode was warm and cozy. During the summer it had been the opposite, set to a degree that made it pleasant and not unbearably suffocating. 

Today there was no excuse. Kazuaki had stayed home. It had been a planned day off despite never saying anything to anyone except for the headmaster and substitute he had contacted. The substitute teacher had arrived at the school as planned and proceeded with leading the school day for room 2-3. A part of him was amused at the thought of his students enjoying a day of actual education with a teacher who didn't nod off mid-explanation. Kazuaki was sure it would also come as a shock to them as he hardly ever took any time off during the year.

But today's date was one of those few exceptions. 

And it had been that way for five years.

Kazuaki had been sure to hide a bottle of sleeping pills from Shuu's sight after taking what he thought to be enough to help him sleep through the day. But even with the strongest recommended amount, the dosage still wasn't enough to keep him completely asleep. He woke up from time to time, just enough to glance at the clock. He would only ever close his eyes again and roll over, arms still wrapped securely around the pillow Shuu slept with; his face nuzzled into it, catching the doctor's scent every time he was consciously awake. And there he stayed, wasting the day away, satisfied to remain motionless and pretend that he didn't exist.

The bathroom door opened and the steam fell, bare footsteps padding to a corner of the room. Kazuaki stepped into a pair of tan house slippers, still drying his hair. The towel was soon discarded in a hamper, slender hands smoothing down his white shirt and then down to his pinstripe, dark chocolate pajama bottoms. Eyes glanced to the clock again, letting out a sigh. Shuu more than likely wouldn't be home for another hour or two. He still had time to pull himself together and prepare dinner.

Kazuaki stood silently in front of the kitchen counter, eyes wide as he gazed down at a cake - one that he distinctly did not remember making himself. Somehow he forgot to breathe as natural, brown eyes followed the script of red frosting - how the words went from something beautifully practiced to... One hand shakily rose, pressing the back of knuckles against his lips; his eyebrows knitted together tightly as he settled upon a name. He remained standing there awkwardly, eyes locked onto the handmade cake before he noticed a notepad seemingly out of place right beside it. Kazuaki dared to shift his gaze; a stinging sensation reaching his lashline as equally familiar handwriting caught his attention.

_Happy Birthday. I know it’s not much but……_

It hurt. It  _hurt_ to see this. And yet... 

Kazuaki closed his eyes as he bowed his head, his palm falling over half his face as his shoulders trembled. A smile slowly broke out across his expression, quiet laughter filling the kitchen as he felt tears rise up in his eyes as he continued to stare; his present displayed so thoughtfully despite just being an ordinary cake. 

His smile widened.

How he hated him...

Steps were shaky at first as he turned away, his heart pounding hard; elated and filling with an emotion that had died long ago, yet the sensation of knives stabbing at it tore right through the unfamiliar happiness that had suddenly overwhelmed him. Dropping his palm from his face, he grasped at the left side of his chest as he continued to smile; a tear finally escaping to trail down one cheek.

He turned to leave the kitchen, almost about to begin a panicked and frantic search for the doctor, when he stopped. The sliding glass doors to the porch was there, the privacy curtain pulled to one side; beyond that, a familiar figure laid out on a chair. A sharp breath was released as his eyebrows pulled together once more, gazing out from the dimly lit kitchen to the sunset outside, relieved. The setting sun outside boasted a warmth that Kazuaki would never feel again, but Shuu was satisfied to bathe in it - bundled up as he was with a red scarf drawn around his face snug.

The door slid open, then closed. Kazuaki tugged a blanket further around himself as he stepped quietly to the outdoor chaise. He reached Shuu's side, just in time for the sun to finally dip down past the tops of trees and the rest of the quiet city. The sky was still luminous with a pale tint of orange and mute red; a contrast against the darkening sky that was slowly enveloping the world around them, turning the air even chillier than it already was. 

Kazuaki slowly sat down, facing Shuu, not bothering to dry his eyes. A hand rose up, gently resting over the familiar red scarf that was draped around the doctor's neck and shoulders. He felt the fabric beneath his fingers, the softness that caressed the doctor's face; he felt the way Shuu was suddenly beneath him as he bowed forward, bringing their faces close together.

Long arms laced around the shorter figure, collecting him to his chest. The blanket wrapped around the two of them warmly as Kazuaki nuzzled his face into Shuu's own. Warm lips pressed a chaste kiss to a cold brow affectionately.

Slender fingers lifted, daring to gently tug down on the scarf as Shuu began to stir awake; a smile greeting the doctor.

"Thank you," he whispered, before leaning in to mouth a name softly against bare lips.

A birthday cake truly wasn't much after all, yet it was more than enough.

Yuuya's reassurance had been correct - Hitori loved it more than anything.


End file.
